Crabstock co-founder Adrian Bartlett says: “We live in an age where some of the country’s best chefs are celebrities, complete with prime-time television series and bestselling books. But at the same time, the general public has lost touch with one of our finest products, Great British crab. We believe that more people want to know about raw ingredients, where they come from and what they can do with them; we also want to encourage more people to try the different varieties of crab that are available and so through our ‘Pick it, Dress it, Eat it’ demonstrations we’ll show visitors to Crabstock just how simple it can be to prepare.
“I am a fisherman, not a chef, but throughout the festival weekend I will show ‘Crabstockers’ how they can pick a crab with just a rolling pin and a teaspoon. The demonstration will be very hands-on so they can follow me step-by-step; and they can dress the crab with the crabmeat that they pick. There will even be prizes for the best-dressed crab.”
Crabstock will showcase edible brown crab, spider crab and fiddler crab and teach visitors about the ways these species are caught and how they can provide delicious and nutritious meals for all the family.
The second Crabstock of 2013 will be staged at the Devon Cliffs Sandy Bay holiday park in Exmouth, South Devon, on the 14 and 15 September, 2013. This will be the first time that a Crabstock festival has been held on the coast.
It is being staged in collaboration with Haven Holidays, the UK’s biggest holiday company, which owns and operates 35 holiday sites around the country.
Crabstock festivals are a lot of fun for all ages, but the overriding aim is to teach people from inland destinations about the health benefits of eating Great British shellfish as well as the social and economic importance of supporting the country’s fishing industry. While this festival will be on the coast, many of the visitors to Devon Cliffs Sandy Bay are from towns and cities many miles from the coast.
The resort, which will have more than 10,000 guests on the weekend of Crabstock, is particularly popular with holidaymakers from the Midlands.